


This Is What Life Is All About

by springawake



Category: Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story (1961)
Genre: Crossover, mostly birdie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 12:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4479998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/springawake/pseuds/springawake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Bye Bye Birdie/West Side Story crossover. I noticed that Chita Rivera played both Rose and Anita, which got the creative gears in my head turning… picks up at the end of Bye Bye Birdie and runs through the plot of West Side Story. It's mostly a Birdie story, so be warned! [originally posted on fanfiction.net]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

They were at the train station. Rose was in front of him, suitcase in hand, and suddenly it all became clear.

“Albert... you wanted us to miss the train!" Albert beamed, glad that she was catching on.

"Well, it stands to reason, Rose! Why get on a train to New York when you have two tickets to Pumpkin Falls, Iowa?" And with a flourish he pulled the tickets from his pocket. Well, one of them anyway. Albert's smile disappeared, and he began to anxiously check his other pockets. "Well, I _thought_ I had two tickets," he muttered.

"Albert? What's in Pumpkin Falls, Iowa?" Rose asked.

"Huh?" Albert looked up. "Oh, there's an opening in the teaching staff at Pumpkin Falls Middle School… they want someone to teach English and domestic science— Rose, I'm so sorry. I think I lost the other ticket! I could have sworn they were both in my pocket..." He resumed searching his pockets, stopping only when he realized Rose was no longer standing beside him.  Albert turned and saw Rose at the ticket counter.

"...train to Pumpkin Falls?...Thank you." Rose walked back to Albert and offered him her newly purchased ticket. "Does this solve our problem?"

"Yes, yes it does," Albert said, relieved. He leaned down and kissed Rose, taking the other ticket. "I hope you're not as forgetful as I am, Rose." She frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You do have your papers, don't you? Because over in Pumpkin Falls, they prefer members of their teaching staff to be married."

"Oh, Albert!" Rose cried. She threw her arms around him and Albert hugged her back, tickets still in hand. "I do have them,” she said, pulling away, "Would you like me to hold on to those tickets for you? Just to be safe?" Albert blushed.

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea."

Before the hour was up, Albert and Rose were on a train to Pumpkin Falls, much too caught up in each other to pay attention to the passing countryside. Rose leaned against Albert, arm linked with his, and Albert could not stop staring at his beautiful fiancée. Everything was quiet and peaceful and perfect; after all, they were together.

That is, until the silence was disrupted by the arrival of a passenger from the next car over.

"Sonny!" Albert and Rose both turned around in their seats, shocked. However, while Albert felt nothing but a sense of growing dismay, Rose was furious. She immediately turned on Albert.

"Albert, what is _she_ doing here?" Albert looked back and forth between his mother, who was unsteadily making her way down the aisle of the car, and Rose, who was glaring at him with barely contained rage. "Well?" Rose demanded.

“I— I don't know!" he sputtered. “She—”

"We were supposed to be done with her!" Rose snapped. "And now she just happens to be on the same train we are? You know, for a minute, I almost believed your 'new man' act. I really thought you had changed." Rose's glare flicked to Mae and back to Albert. "Looks like I was wrong," she spat. "You're the same wishy-washy, _pathetic_ man I met eight years ago! I'm done with you. And you!" she added when Mae finally reached the arguing couple. Rose pulled her suitcase down from the luggage rack. Albert jumped to his feet and took one of Rose's hands.

"Rosie, please... you're overreacting!"

"I am not overreacting!" Rose cried, pulling her hand out of Albert's grasp. "I just cannot believe you brought her with us! I thought... I don't know what I thought. But I'm leaving. Don't try to follow me." The train pulled to a stop at the next station, and without a word to either of the Petersons, Rose stepped off onto the platform. She didn't look back. Albert tried to get off the train after Rose, but his mother stood in the way.

"Mama, let me through!" he demanded.

"Albert, just let her go. You can always find a new secre—”

"Mama, for the last time: I do not need a new secretary! I don't need a secretary at all! Rose and I are going to Pumpkin Falls so I can teach English! So we can be together..." Albert finally succeeded in pushing his mother aside, but it was too late. The train had started moving again, leaving Rose behind.

"She's gone," Albert said, more to himself than anyone else. "I've lost her."

"Albert? Shouldn't we get off the train too? So we can go home?" Albert slowly turned to his mother, trying hard to maintain a calm expression on his face. "To repeat Rose's question Mama, why are you here? How did you even know which train we were on?" Mae pulled a train ticket from her purse and silently handed it to Albert.

**SWEET APPLE, OHIO TO PUMPKIN FALLS, IOWA 7:00 AM**

Suddenly Albert realized what he had done. He hadn’t lost one of his tickets… “I gave you one of our tickets,” he said softly. “Didn’t I? I gave you a ticket to Pumpkin Falls instead of one for the train to New York.”

"Albert, I—”

"You and Conrad were supposed to be on that train to New York for a reason!" he said, beginning to yell and attract attention from the other passengers. "Pumpkin Falls was supposed to be the start of a new life for me and Rose. There's no point going there now." Albert sighed and sat down again; Mae joined him in Rose's vacated seat. "I'll get off at the next stop so I can call to tell the school I won't be taking the job. Then we can go back to New York. You'll go home, and I'll... I'll start looking for an apartment of my own."

"Sonny!" Mae cried, putting a hand over her heart.

"It's about time, Mama! I'm thirty-three years old; I can't keep living with you. I'll find an apartment, and hopefully there'll be a school somewhere in Manhattan that will take me."

"You really have changed, haven't you, sonny?" Mae sighed. _If only Rosie could see that,_ Albert thought.

* * *

Rose hurried to the ticket counter as soon as she stepped foot on the platform; she thought that, maybe if she kept herself moving, she wouldn't have time to think about the man she was leaving behind.

"Excuse me, when is—” Rose stopped and asked again, hoping her voice wouldn't waver this time.

"When is the next train to New York?" The young man behind the counter looked up from the book he was reading and glanced over his shoulder, presumably to look at a clock.

"Next one leaves in about forty-five minutes. Why, you wanna buy a ticket?"

"Yes, please," Rose said, reaching into her purse for her wallet. As she paid for her ticket the thought suddenly struck her that she was now without a job, without any means to support herself. She couldn’t— wouldn't go back to Almaelou, assuming the company was even still together. She'd have to find another job when she got back to New York.

Rose spent the trip home sitting in stony silence, clutching her purse tightly on her lap as she stared straight ahead, trying not to think about— about him. She managed that task very well until she arrived back home. When she let herself into her small apartment and shut the door behind her, Rose couldn't help it any longer; she burst into tears and sank to the ground with her back against the door.

"How did it all go so wrong?" she whispered brokenly. That morning, she and her fiancé were moving to a new town, ready to begin their new life together; now, he was hundreds of miles away, and she was right back where they had started. Alone. Now that— her boss— was working in another state and the company that had been the center of her life for the past eight years had been abandoned, Rose was alone. She had moved to New York eight, almost nine years ago, and had immediately found work at Almaelou. Over the years, Rose and Mary had developed a casual sort of friendship— friendly enough at the office, but they never really talked outside of work. And then there was—

"No," Rose whispered. "No, no, no." She was done with him, she left him. It was too late to wonder if she had made the right decision or not. Maybe she had overreacted. But now she was back in New York, and he was in Pumpkin Falls, Iowa with his mother. All set to teach English. He had no reason to come back. What Rose had done and said didn't matter anymore. There was nothing she could do. He was gone. And Rose needed to move on. She picked up her suitcase and took it into her room to unpack.

It was then that she uncovered the pile of papers that had been thrown in with hastily packed clothes. Rose had forgotten them until now, and if she wanted to be able to move on with her life, she would have to forget them again. So she took the papers into her kitchen and, one by one, tore them up over the trash can. _There,_ she thought. _I'm done._ Rose glanced at the clock hanging by her cupboards. Eleven thirty. She brushed aside a few lingering tears and runny makeup and collapsed onto her bed, only pausing to kick off her shoes. It had been a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I was writing this, I completely forgot that the owner of the bridal shop that Maria and Anita work at shared her name with the shop... so I made up a name for her and never changed it, mostly 'cause I associated my name for her with my interpretation of the character. So in case anyone wonders why her name is different...

Rose sat in the lobby of an impressive office building, ready for her first job interview. She was lucky there were a few (well, more than a few) offices in her area looking to hire secretaries; it had taken her less than a week to line up four interviews, and it would be nice to do something she was already familiar with.

"Ms. Alvarez?" The woman sitting at the desk in the corner waved Rose in the direction of the manager's door. "Mr. Thurston will see you now." Rose nodded her thanks to the receptionist and entered the man's office.

Mr. Thurston was a big man sitting at a big desk, leaning back comfortably in his chair as he glanced over Rose's résumé. He sat up when she walked in and gestured for her to sit at the chair in front of his desk.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello," Rose responded politely. "I'm Rose Alvarez; I'm here for the secretary position."

"Ah, yes. I was just looking over your résumé," he said, placing it on the desk. Rose looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to start the interview, to say something at least...

"Alvarez..." he muttered at last. "Hispanic, isn't it?"

Rose frowned slightly. "It is," she said, "but I don't see what that has to do with—”

"The thing is, Ms. Alvarez," Mr. Thurston said, leaning forward and resting his clasped hands on his desk, "as a secretary you'd spend a lot of time on the phones. You'd have to have very good English."

Rose narrowed her eyes and straightened her shoulders. "My English is just as good as yours," she said curtly. Mr. Thurston gave her a tight smile.

"I'm sure it is, Ms. Alvarez. But—”

"If you would just look at my résumé—” Rose interrupted.

"I have."

"Then surely you know that I spent _eight years_ working as a secretary at Almaelou Music Co!"

He gave her that same, cold smile. "I'm sorry, Ms. Alvarez. I just don't think you're qualified for this position."

"Not qualified?" Rose repeated incredulously. "Eight years working a steady job without a single complaint, the _same_ position you're looking to fill, and I'm _not_ _qualified_?"

"Thank you for your time," Mr. Thurston said. Rose got to her feet in a huff. _I'm not going to waste any more of my time arguing with this idiot,_ Rose thought. _Good_ _thing I have three other interviews today._

"Goodbye." With that, Rose turned on her heel and stalked out of the office.

* * *

Unfortunately, Rose did not have any luck with her other three interviews. The second and third went much like the first: dismissed in under five minutes on account of her Spanish heritage (though no one said it out loud; she knew that was the reason). _It's not as if I'm an immigrant,_ Rose fumed as she left the third unsuccessful interview. _I'm as American as the rest of them!_ She finally thought she had caught a break with her last interview. The whole meeting went very smoothly, and the man she was speaking with was saying he would be happy to hire her; it was then that his associate sheepishly informed the first man that he had already hired a secretary earlier that morning.

Rose felt like she was running out of options. As far as she knew, no other offices or businesses of any kind were looking to hire secretaries. She was walking home from her last interview when she abruptly came to a decision. Instead of heading for her apartment, she turned left onto a street that she knew would lead to a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood. _All people ever see when they look at me is 'Hispanic'._ _Well if that's what they want, that's what I'll give them. I'll show them Spanish..._

It was clear that this neighborhood was very different from the one Rose called home. There were no towering office buildings here. Instead, the streets were lined with apartment buildings, small family-owned shops, and the occasional drug store or laundromat. A small sign across the street reading 'NOW HIRING/ESTAMOS EMPLEANDO' caught Rose's eye. She hurried to the other side of the road to see what sort of shop was hiring, and felt a little less enthusiastic when she recognized the frilly dresses in the front window. The lettering on the glass read 'MADAM LUCIA'S BRIDAL SHOP.' It seemed they were looking for seamstresses. Was this really the sort of job she was willing to take? Yes she could sew well, but...

Rose pushed her feelings of hesitation aside. She had already been turned down four times for a position she knew she was very well qualified for. If she couldn't find work there... She knew she couldn't afford to pass up opportunities for employment, even ones like this. _Just long enough to save up some money,_ Rose thought. _There's nothing stopping me from looking for other work later._ With that thought in mind, Rose pushed the door open. A small bell tinkled to announce her arrival, and a heavy-set Hispanic woman hurried out from the back room.

"Can I help you?"

_Here we go,_ Rose thought, putting on a bright smile. "I saw your sign saying you were hiring," she said, gesturing to the window behind her. "Are you Madam Lucia?"

The woman laughed. "No, Madam Lucia was my mother. I'm Antonella. Are you interested in the position?"

Rose nodded eagerly, relieved that she had found a chance to work.

"¿Hablas Español?" Antonella inquired.

"Sí," Rose answered in a heartbeat. Antonella smiled.

"I'll show you around back. Assuming you know your way around a sewing machine, you can start tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

A week into her new job, Rose had settled into a comfortable, albeit boring, routine. Up by seven, walk to work, arrive a little before eight, when the shop would open. Say hello to Antonella and the other three women she worked with (Rosalia, Teresita and Francisca). An hour for lunch, and home again by six thirty. Sometimes, if Antonella needed to run out for something during the day, Rose would handle the front half of the shop, helping customers and working the cash register (out of Antonella's four employees, Rose was most comfortable working face to face with people). Rose was unaccustomed to having so much alone time, as she didn’t have to come in on weekends and the shop closed promptly at six every night (unlike Almaelou there were no opportunities for overtime; then again Madam Lucia's also lacked what had motivated Rose to work overtime in the first place).

One night just before closing when Rose was working up front, a man and a young woman came into the shop. _Hmm. Don't see too many male customers in here,_ Rose thought idly. But the man did not seem interested in shopping.

"Where is Antonella?" he asked in a heavy accent, glancing around as if the shopkeeper might be hiding.

"She ran out to pick up an order of custom accessories. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I—” He narrowed his eyes and looked intently at Rose. "Are you new here?"

Rose frowned slightly. "Yes, I am."

At that moment, the door to the shop tinkled open and Antonella came in carrying half a dozen small boxes that she set down on the counter. The man approached her immediately.

"Antonella, what happened to our agreement?” he asked, gesturing to Rose. “I thought you had promised my little sister a job in your shop when she arrived from Puerto Rico."

"Don't be silly, 'Nardo!" Antonella laughed. "I can always use more help. Of course Maria will still work here; I would not have hired more help if it meant she could not have a place at my shop. Is this the young lady?" she asked, turning to the young woman who had been standing quietly by her brother. Bernardo put a hand on his sister's shoulder as he introduced her to Antonella.

"Yes. This is my sister, Maria."

"Encantada, Maria," Antonella said warmly. "I'm Antonella, and this is Rose."

Maria waved politely and Bernardo gave a slight nod and a smile to the woman behind the counter. Now that the altercation with his sister had been cleared up, it seemed he was far more willing to be friendly to Rose.

Meanwhile, Antonella had taken Maria's hand and started leading her toward the back.

"I'll introduce you to the rest of the girls. Rose, you can close up now."

"Sí, señora," Rose called after her, almost cringing as she realized how easily the Spanish words slipped through her lips after trying to forget about that side of her for so long. Rose began taking the smaller displays and the new shipment of adornments off of the counters and stowed them safely in the glass cases. She tried her best to ignore Bernardo, who was watching her intently as she worked.

"I'm Bernardo," he said eventually.

"Rose," Rose replied, not pausing to look at Bernardo.

“Rose... Rosa," Bernardo said, trying out the name. He shook his head. "What is your middle name?" 

Rose sighed before turning her attention to the window displays. Bernardo followed. "It's Anita."

"Anita!" Bernardo crowed. "I like it! A beautiful name..." he said, suddenly taking her hand and raising it to his lips. Rose resisted the urge to snatch her hand away. "...for a beautiful woman."

Rose was saved from Bernardo's affections when Antonella and Maria returned from the back room. Bernardo took his sister's arm to escort her from the shop.

"Eight o'clock, Maria!" Antonella reminded her newest employee.

"Por supuesto!" Maria said. "Buenas noches, Antonella."

"Buenas noches, Anita!" Bernardo called. The door closed behind them, making the bell tinkle again. Rose felt her face go red and tried not to groan aloud.

"Anita?" Antonella said. "What was that all about?"

"I told him Anita is my middle name," Rose admitted. "It seems he prefers that over Rose."

Antonella laughed. "That's Bernardo for you! Such a sweet boy. And his sister seems promising as well. Anita _is_ a nice name," she added after a pause.

Rose smiled hesitantly and flipped over the 'OPEN/ABIERTO' sign. There. Now the shop was closed.

"Buenas noches, Antonella," Rose said on her way out the door.

"Buenas noches, Anita!" Antonella said, laughing. The door closed behind her and Rose began her long walk home. _Anita isn't a bad name,_ she thought. _Maybe a new name will help me get used to having a fresh start, help me forget...everything before._

* * *

Albert stood in front of the high school, briefcase in hand. Working up the courage to go inside. He couldn't remember the last time he had to go to a job interview. It must have been just after college, before he started Almaelou. _Come on, Albert,_ he thought. _This is the last step before you'll be ready to start your new life. Without_ _Rosie_ , his mind added. Albert pushed the thought away. He had already sold Almaelou (he was surprised by how well his employees took the news; he later found out that they had made bets on how many years past Rose's one-year deadline Almaelou would finally be sold). Albert used the money from the company's sale to purchase a small apartment many blocks away from his mother's. Granted, the neighborhood wasn't as nice… but it was all Albert could afford. Now all he had to do was get a job and he could cut all ties to his old life. Most of them anyway. There was still a small part of him that insisted that, despite how many different opportunities for work there may be in New York, he should try to find a job teaching English. And he couldn't bring himself to get rid of the picture of Rose he kept in his wallet (he could still remember the day Rose gave it to him; she said it was a reminder that she existed outside of the offices of Almaelou and it was perfectly acceptable to spend time together outside of work, because after all, they _were_ a couple). Albert glanced at his watch and groaned. If he didn't go in now, he'd be late for the interview.

 _I suppose it's now or never,_ he thought. So with a deep breath, he walked through the doors. He found the main office easily enough.

"If you're looking for Principal Lopez, she's in her office. You can go right in," the secretary said without looking up from her desk.

"Thank you," Albert said. The secretary didn't reply.

When Albert entered the principal's office, her head snapped up at the sound of the door and she smiled in a tired, relieved sort of way when she saw Albert coming in.

"Mr. Peterson, right? You're here to fill the English position?"

"Yes. I can't tell you how glad I was to see the teaching position available."

"And we are glad to have you."

"I have to say," Albert began hesitantly, "I was surprised you're not looking for someone with any sort of... degree, or teaching certificate."

Principal Lopez smiled weakly. "We're desperate, Mr. Peterson. Our students can be… trying at times. And we're not located in the best of neighborhoods; we don't get much money from the city, as I'm sure you can guess. We can afford to be pickier for the maths and sciences, but when it comes to subjects like the arts and English, we take whoever we can get.  I don't mean to belittle your subject—”

"Not at all! Really, I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach," Albert insisted.

"Well, we won't be asking for very much from you, Mr. Peterson. Usually we suggest that students read two to three pieces of literature each school year, along with some poetry and maybe a play if you can work it in. Things like grammar and formal writing should be reviewed whenever you can. I'm afraid your choice of books is quite small; our school library isn't all that expansive. Of course, if you can get your hands on enough copies of another book you'd like to teach you're certainly welcome to do so. I think that may be everything, unless you have any questions..."

“Well, can you tell me how many students I'll be teaching?"

"Oh! Of course. There are four English classes for you to cover, and we expect each to have about thirty students. Classes start at 7:30 each morning and school lets out at two. So, Mr. Peterson… will you take the job?"

Albert raised his eyebrows. “That— that's it?" he asked, a little incredulous. "We've hardly spoken five minutes."

Principal Lopez smiled sadly again. "Like I said," she said spreading her hands, "we're desperate. We'll have someone sit in on your first week of classes to see if there's any feedback we can give you, but I already feel confident that you'll try your hardest with our students."

Albert exhaled shakily and sat up a little straighter. "All right. I'll take the job."

Principal Lopez smiled, warmly this time, and reached out to shake Albert's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Peterson. I was beginning to worry I wouldn't be able to fill the position before school started."

Albert took her hand and smiled right back at his new boss. "Thank you, Ms. Lopez. I can't wait to get started."

As Albert walked out of the school with a spring in his step, he paused to take out his wallet. He smiled sadly at the slightly crumpled picture that stared back at him.

"I'm doing it for you, Rosie," he whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OC time! She's the only character I own, obviously. Birdie and West Side Story aren't mine.

Albert was nervous. No, he was beyond nervous. This morning he was nervous. Now, he was absolutely terrified. But he wouldn't let this group of 11th graders know that. He wanted his students to respect him, and he had a feeling they might not if they knew that he had to sit down just to stop his legs from shaking. All too soon the last student filed in, and Albert knew he had to get started. He stood, leaving his hands braced on his desk facing the students.

"Good morning," he said. Apparently no one heard him over the unruly chatter that filled the classroom. Albert tried again.

"Good morning," he said a little louder. "My name is Mr. Peterson, and I—” Albert was proud of himself for not allowing his voice to shake, but now he was afraid he would lose his temper.

"I'm only going to say this once!" he said, practically shouting. The chatter stopped immediately. Now he had their attention.

"If anyone here isn't prepared and willing to learn," he said slowly and clearly, "get out of my classroom."

You could hear a pin drop in that room. The students stared at Albert; not one of them moved.

"All right then," Albert said, picking up the attendance sheet from his desk.

"Miguel Alvarez." Silence. "Well if you're here, say something!" Albert said a little impatiently.

"Something!" a boy in the back called. There was a burst of laughter from the students.

"Very funny," Albert said drily. More laughter. Albert sighed, trying not to crack a smile.

"Jeffrey Benitez..."

* * *

It was the first of September. Teresita, who was still in high school, had to cut her hours back due to school starting again. She came in at three and left when they closed up, so the other four girls had to work harder to pick up the slack. Rose was sure she was the only one who was glad for the extra work; she missed being busy all the time. So while the other girls might complain about having to cover for Teresita, Rose smiled and remembered how she used to bustle about… at her old job.

In addition to calling Rose by her middle name (it soon caught on; Antonella and the other girls called her Anita as well), Bernardo had also taken to hanging around the shop during closing time. Rose didn't know what kind of a job he had (if he had one at all), but she wished it took up more of his time. So he had less to spend with her.

"Anita!" he said, announcing his presence as he came into the shop one night.

Rose sighed, wishing she could hide behind the cash register. She dropped her chin into her hand, giving Bernardo a dreary "Hello."

He sauntered up to Rose and crouched to rest his arms on the counter so he could look up into her face. "You are always so quiet, Anita. I worry about you!" he said playfully. Rose straightened and walked away from the counter, pretending to inspect one of the dresses a customer was supposed to have picked up that day.

"There's no need to worry about me. I just don't have much to say. That's all," she said with her back to him. Bernardo walked around the counter and took Rose by the shoulders, spinning her around.

"I want you to have dinner with me tonight," he declared.

" _What?_ "

Bernardo smiled and took her chin in his hand. "All you do is work, Anita. That's what Maria tells me. You go right home every night and you spend all your free time running errands. You should try to have a little fun for once, hmm?"

Rose eased her way out of his grasp. "No thank you. I have to—”

"Work? Ah, but I think it can wait."

"Really, Bernardo, I—”

"Just this once, Anita. Do it for me!" He spread his arms and grinned, awaiting Rose's answer.

"Fine," Rose snapped. "I'll have dinner with you. Just this once," she added, giving Bernardo a hard look. _Maybe giving him what he wants will get him off my back,_ Rose thought. _I really didn't feel like cooking tonight, anyway..._

"Excelente!" Before she could stop him, Bernardo leaned forward and kissed Rose's cheek. "I'll give you an hour to go home, put on something pretty, hmm? Then I can meet you here. Unless you'd like me to walk you home..."

"No!" Rose cried. "No, that's all right. I can walk home myself. Thank you."

Bernardo smiled and leaned back against the counter. "I'll see you in an hour, then."

"Not in here, you won't. I have to close up. Out!"

An hour later, Rose found herself sitting across from Bernardo at a small table for two. He was grinning broadly at her from across the table; she stared her napkin on her lap.

"You look beautiful tonight, Anita," he said. Rose forced herself to look up and meet Bernardo's eyes.

"Thank you, Bernardo," she said stiffly. He kept smiling at her, and Rose found herself smiling back. Bernardo may have been a shameless flatterer, but... he wasn't bad company.

Bernardo, of course, did most of the talking that night. And Rose was content to listen. She was grateful that Bernardo didn't try to force her to open up. As the evening drew to a close, Rose realized that she was actually enjoying herself (her glass of champagne helped). _I really shouldn't spend so much time alone,_ she thought. _I suppose Bernardo was right._

Bernardo paid for their meal, and offered to walk Rose home. She opened her mouth before she had a chance to think.

"I would like that, thank you."

If Bernardo was surprised by Rose's acceptance, he didn't show it. He just offered Rose his arm, and smiled broadly when she took it. They walked to Rose's apartment in silence, which gave Rose much needed time to think.

_I'd have to be pretty dense not to see that Bernardo cares for me. A lot. Maybe I shouldn't have gone out with him tonight… I barely know him! Then again… lately all I've been thinking about is starting over. Forgetting everything. I already have a new job, a new name. Maybe it's time I let new people into my life too..._

They stopped outside Rose's apartment building, standing there for a moment. Still not talking.

"I guess… I'll see you tomorrow then," Rose said at last, stepping away from Bernardo and letting his arm drop to his side. He turned to face Rose, cupping her cheek in his hand.

"You certainly will. Buenas noches, Anita," he said softly. And he leaned in and kissed her. The moment she felt his lips on hers, Rose made a decision. She took both Bernardo's hands in hers and guided them to her waist; when he pulled her closer she moved her hands to either side of his face and deepened the kiss. Bernardo reciprocated eagerly, putting one hand around the back of Rose's head and tangling his fingers in her hair. After what seemed like ages she pulled away, gasping for breath. _I've never kissed..._ anyone _like that before_ , Rose thought.

"I knew it," Bernardo said softly, tapping her on the nose as a sly grin appeared on his face. "I knew you would fall for me eventually."

Rose laughed nervously. "I guess I did. Good night, Bernardo." And with that, she hurried inside.

“I almost wish I had had that second glass of champagne,” Rose muttered. “Then maybe I would have been drunk enough to have an excuse for what I just did!”

* * *

The bell rang, and Albert's students leapt from their desks, making a beeline for the door. Albert sighed, closing his copy of _The Great Gatsby._ The bell didn't care if lessons weren't over; in fact, it had a nasty habit of cutting Albert off midsentence.

"Remember to finish chapter one for Monday!" he called after his departing students. He knew that most of them weren't listening; their minds were already on a million other things. Albert sat down at his desk, sliding his worn paperback and a few papers into his briefcase.

_I did it,_ he thought. _I've made it through a whole week of teaching._ He couldn't help it; a huge smile spread across his face.

And then there was a knock at the door. Albert jumped in his seat and turned to see a woman smiling at him from the doorway. She was tall and willowy, with soft brown hair and grey-blue eyes.

"Hi, can I help you?" Albert asked.

The woman laughed. "I heard we had a new English teacher, thought I'd stop by to say hello."

Albert stood as she walked over to shake his hand "I'm Lillian Wilson," she told him. "I teach algebra and geometry classes."

"Albert Peterson," Albert responded, taking her hand. "I teach English, but I guess you already knew that."

Lillian laughed again. "So, what did you think of your first week?" she asked, crossing her arms and casually leaning against the blackboard. "Think it went ok?"

"I guess so. I'm worried that I've been too hard on them, especially the first day," Albert admitted.

"Don't worry about it," Lillian replied with a wave of her hand. "Our kids are a tough bunch. Better to keep them in line so they can actually learn something than worry yourself about hurting their feelings. "Which won't happen," she added. "It'd take a tougher teacher than you to actually upset them."

"Um, thanks," Albert said slowly.

"I mean that in a good way! You seem like a very nice man. I'm sure the kids will love you, just give it some time."

"Thanks," Albert said again, more sincerely this time.

"Do you wanna go out and get coffee or something?" Lillian asked. "It'd be nice to get to know my new colleague a little better." She gave Albert a small smile. "Unless of course you've got papers to grade..."

"School has only just started!" Albert said with a laugh. "They haven't even finished the first chapter of their book, let alone had enough time to write an essay."

"I thought so. So… coffee?"

"All right," Albert decided. _It's about time I get to know the other teachers._

* * *

Lillian insisted on buying. "So, this is your first time teaching?" she asked.

Albert nodded, taking a sip of coffee and then almost dropping his cup as he burned his tongue.

"Careful," Lillian laughed. "You know, you don't seem quite young enough to be fresh out of college. What have you been doing all these years, if you haven't been teaching?"

"I was in the music business."

Lillian raised her eyebrows. "Really? What did you do?"

"I ran a small company, wrote songs..."

"Ah, so you're a musician!"

Albert blushed. "Not really. I just play piano, and I guess I can sing all right."

"So what made you decide to go into teaching?"

Albert paused, setting his coffee down on the table. "I'm not really sure," he said slowly. "It was what I wanted to do when I first got out of college, but I needed to save up money to be able to go back to school to get a teaching certificate. I didn't think I'd be able to get a job without one—”

"Neighborhoods like this are kind of an exception," Lillian said with a shrug.

"So I started Almaelou— that was the name of the company— originally just to earn some money, but I started to really like the whole music business. My secretary kept reminding me about teaching English, so… eight years later, here I am."

"Where did you get the name Almaelou from?"

"Oh. Well, my mother's name is Mae, and the dog I had at the time was named Lou..."

Lillian laughed. "I see! Very creative."

Albert gave her a hard look that turned into a grin. "You know, I can't tell if you're making fun of me or not."

"I'm not!" Lillian insisted, putting a hand on top of Albert's. "I promise."

Their eyes met; after a moment they both went red and Lillian took her hand away.

"I'm sorry, I—”

"No, no, it's all right—”

"I didn't mean—”

"It's fine."

Lillian and Albert looked at each other again and laughed.

"I'm sorry," Lillian said again, still smiling.

"Don't worry about it."

A comfortable silence fell as the pair finished their coffee. "I should probably be getting home," Lillian said, standing. "I've got quizzes to grade."

"Only a week in and you've already given them a quiz?" Albert asked with a grin, also getting to his feet.

"Just to test the knowledge they already have!" she explained. She smiled too. "Thanks for agreeing to come out with me, Albert."

"My pleasure! After all, you paid. It's been nice getting to know you, Ms. Wilson."

"I feel the same way, Mr. Peterson," Lillian said with a grin and a wave goodbye. She tossed her cup and left the small coffee shop, leaving the door tinkling behind her.

Albert also disposed of his cup and went back to their small table to retrieve his briefcase. It was then that he realized Lillian had left hers behind. He grabbed both cases and hurried out the door after her.

"Ms. Wilson!" he called. "I think you forgot something."

Lillian turned around, saw what Albert was carrying, and clasped a hand to her forehead.

"I'm always forgetting that!" she said with a laugh. "Everywhere I go, I leave it behind." She closed the distance between the two of them and took her case back from Albert. "Thank you, Albert. And thank you again, for having coffee with me."

She hesitated a moment, and then Lillian kissed him. Just a peck on the lips; it was over so quickly that Albert was still registering what the heck had just happened when Lillian had pulled away and started to apologize.

"Oh god, Albert, I— I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

Albert stood there, stunned. All he could think to say was "Uh."

"I'm sorry," Lillian said again, a somewhat pained look on her face. She turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Albert grabbed her hand and she stopped in her tracks. She spun to face Albert, looking surprised.

"Uh," he said again. "It's okay," he said hurriedly. Albert realized he was still holding her hand. He stepped closer and dropped his briefcase. He put his other hand on Lillian's waist and after the slightest hesitation, he kissed her, as gently as she had kissed him. She stared at him as he pulled away.

"It's okay," Albert said again. Hand still on her waist. Finally Lillian smiled.

"I like you, Mr. Peterson."

He laughed. "I like you too, Ms. Wilson."

She stepped back, eyes bright and a smile on her face. "I think you can call me Lillian." She waved goodbye again and walked away.

"Goodbye, Lillian!" Albert called. He picked up his briefcase and turned to start his own walk home. Only a moment later he stopped again, overcome by a horrible sinking feeling as he realized what he had just done.

"Oh god," he whispered. "Rosie."


	5. Chapter 5

Albert let himself into his tiny apartment and tossed his briefcase on his bed. After kicking off his shoes, he sat down, dropping his head in his hands.

"I can't believe I just did that. I cannot _believe_ I just did that."

He had just gone and kissed another woman. Someone he had just met that day! Albert sat up slightly and rested his forehead on his clasped hands.

"But she kissed me first… why did she kiss me?" Albert muttered. He got to his feet, pacing, fitfully running a hand through his hair.

"God, why did I have to kiss her back? I guess I didn't want her to think… I don't know. Didn't want her to think she had made a mistake, that I wouldn't speak to her anymore..."

Albert sighed and sat down again. He pulled out his wallet, and his tired eyes fell on Rose's smiling face. "I wish you hadn’t left, Rosie. Everything would have been so much simpler if you had stayed..." he murmured. Albert dropped his head into his hands again, letting the wallet fall to the floor.

"Rose left," he said quietly. "She left you, she's _gone_. There's no reason you can't... I mean, if she had really cared..."

_She's not coming back. If you want to move on and find someone else, no one will stop you..._

* * *

The bell rang just as the last student placed her reading quiz on Albert's desk. There was a burst of movement as students hurried out the door, some slowing to say goodbye to Albert, others already rushing to get home. Albert took his time packing the students' quizzes into his briefcase, wanting to delay as much as possible. Much to Albert's relief, the halls were practically empty of students by the time he made his way up to the second floor where the math classes were taught.

He stepped into the doorway of an almost empty classroom at the end of the hall and rapped his knuckles on the open door. Lillian Wilson looked up from her desk and smiled when she saw Albert.

"Hey you," she said, waving him over. Albert allowed himself a small smile as he walked over to kiss her cheek.

"Hi."

Lillian raised an eyebrow and gave Albert a grin. "Does this mean you were all right with me kissing you on Friday?"

"I kissed you back, didn't I?” Albert said, surprised the words slipped out of him so easily.

Lillian smirked and got to her feet. Not taking her eyes off Albert, she took his briefcase out of his hand and placed it on her desk. She grabbed his tie in one hand (Albert's eyes went wide), stepped closer, and slowly, firmly placed her lips on Albert's. Lillian pulled away after a long moment, still with a firm grip on Albert's tie.

"I'm sorry for panicking the other day," she said breathily. "I didn't want you to think I was being too forward." She kissed him again, deeper this time. "After all, we just met." Another kiss. "And we are working together."

While all this was happening, Albert slowly came to the realization that he had his hands on Lillian's hips. Hesitantly, he pulled her even closer. Lillian grinned.

"Not a problem," Albert said.

Lillian cocked her head to the side. "What isn't a problem?"

Albert swallowed. Another hazy thought slowly reached his mind. _I am in way over my head._ He pushed the thought aside.

"Any of it. It's not a problem."

Lillian laughed. "Come here," she murmured. And with another tug of his tie, she was kissing Albert again. And he kissed her back.

Lillian finally pulled away to take a breath, and Albert took advantage of the opportunity to ask what had been on his mind all weekend.

"Lillian, would you like to go to dinner with me?

Her expression softened, and a small smile appeared on her face. "Yeah, I'd like that. I'm not free tonight, would tomorrow work?"

Albert smiled. "Of course. I'll see you Tuesday, then."

* * *

"Rosalia, how is Alejandro holding up?"

Rose sighed. Another afternoon of gossip in the back room of Madam Lucia's.

"Oh, he'll be back on his feet in a few days," Rosalia said with a wave of her hand.

"And then he can go teach those Jets a lesson!" Teresita added.

"Who are the Jets?" Rose asked. The girls grew silent for a moment.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, Anita!" Teresita laughed.

" _Callate_ ," Rosalia snapped. She turned to Rose. "It's the gang the Americans are in."

"Gang? Like street fighting?" The other girls turned to look at each other.

"You really don't know anything, do you Anita," Francisca sighed.

"You'd think she'd know all about the gangs, since her boyfriend is the leader of one," Teresita mumbled.

"Anita!" Maria cried. "You are dating 'Nardo and you did not tell me?"

Rose blushed. "I am. It’s... recent, I _meant_ to tell you..."

Maria beamed at Rose. "Well, I think you two will make a _charming_ couple."

"Thanks, Maria," Rose laughed. "But what's this about Bernardo being in a gang?"

"All the boys are," Maria shrugged. "It's what the _Americans_ do, and they are in America now."

"Bernardo is the leader of the Sharks," Teresita added. "That's our gang."

"But they don’t... _fight_ each other, do they?"

"Of course they do," Rosalia said. "That's how Alejandro got hurt."

"Well, what happened to him?" Rose asked.

"One of those Jet bastards got him in the belly with a knife. But it wasn't very deep; he'll be fine."

"Oh my god… do they fight very often?"

"Any time they see each other on the street they'll fight. But the rumbles don't happen very often," Francisca said.

"...rumbles?" asked Rose.

"Big, organized fights with the whole gang," Teresita explained. "All of their guys against every one of us."

"Oh." Rose fell silent after that, wondering what sort of a man she had just started dating.

He came into the shop around closing time, like he always did. The only difference was now he always kissed Rose hello.

"Hello, Anita."

"Bernardo." Rose gave him a small smile. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Mmm? And what's that, Anita?"

"Are you really in a _gang_?"

"Sí, all the boys are. After all, we are in _America_ now!"

Rose crossed her arms. "That's what the girls said. But why?"

Bernardo frowned. He put a hand on Rose's shoulder and took her chin in his other hand. "To protect you and my sister and everyone else from those American boys. I don't trust them and neither should you, Anita."

“But—”

"I'm trying to keep you safe, Anita. That is all. These streets are dangerous; I want to make sure you and Maria aren't the ones getting hurt."

Rose sighed. "All right." That got Bernardo smiling again.

"Now I have something I would like to talk to you about, Anita."

"Oh? What?"

"There's a dance at the gym tomorrow night. I want you to go with me."

“A... dance?" Rose said hesitantly, her hands falling to her side. "Bernardo, I don't really dance, I mean… I haven't danced in forever, not in years."

Bernardo took both her hands in his. "Anita, I'm sure you are a natural! It will be fun, I promise."

“I... all right."

Bernardo beamed and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll meet you at nine, then." He held out his arm. "May I walk you home, señorita?"

"Oh, I'm not quite done closing up yet—”

"I'll help!"

Rose turned to see Maria coming out of the back room. "Maria! I thought you had already left," Rose said.

"I was dawdling. You go on home 'Nardo, we'll be all right by ourselves."

Bernardo smiled fondly at his little sister and kissed her cheek. "Buenas noches, Maria." He kissed Rose too. "Buenas noches, Anita."

"Goodbye!" Maria called. The door closed and he was gone.

"Maria," Rose said, "it's nice of you to help, but—”

"Oh, that's not why I'm here," Maria interrupted. "I wanted to help you pick a dress for tomorrow night!"

Rose gave her a look. "You heard about that, huh?"

Maria tried to look embarrassed and failed. "C'mon, Antonella won't mind if we borrow something."

With that, she took Rose's hand and pulled her into the back room. "Let's see, it has to be something with a nice big skirt, and of course the neckline can't be _too_ low, after all you and 'Nardo only just started dating! But it has to be very pretty, I'm sure my brother will want to show you off to all the Sharks..."

Rose looked on smiling as Maria scoured the racks of dresses looking for something suitable for dancing.

"Ay, look at this one, Anita!" Maria pulled a pink dress from the racks and held it up. "It's perfect! It may even be your size." Rose rolled her eyes and took the dress from Maria, holding it up in front of a mirror.

"It is a lovely dress," she murmured. Rose laughed and shook her head. "But I can't remember the last time I went dancing!"

"It'll be fun!" Maria insisted. "My brother is a very good dancer; he used to dance with me all the time when we were little. I wish I could go," she sighed.

"Why can't you?" Rose asked, finally taking her eyes off the dress. Maria shrugged. "No one to take me. You'll have to dance enough for both of us!"

Rose laughed and turned back to her reflection. "I will."


	6. Chapter 6

Albert couldn't help but feel a little distracted during his classes on Tuesday. More than once he caught himself reading from the wrong chapter of _Great Gatsby_ , or trying to assign his students a chapter they had already read. His absentmindedness only worsened when a student in his third class of the day came in bearing a note from another teacher.

"Ms. Wilson asked me to give this to you," she said.

"Oh! Thank you, Teresita," Albert said, accepting the note and taking a moment before class started to read it.

_118A Park Ave_

_Pick me up at eight?_

_Lillian_

Albert found himself smiling (and maybe blushing a little too), and tucked the note into his pocket. He had a date— yes, a date (what else would he call it?) with Ms. Wilson. Suddenly the end of the school day couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

Albert stood in front of his mirror, nervously adjusting his suit jacket. He hadn't wanted to dress too nicely (after all, it was their first date), so he simply added a jacket to the dress shirt and tie he had worn to school that day.

"I guess it looks all right," he murmured. He glanced at his watch. "7:30. I'd better get going if I don't want to be late picking her up." Lillian lived a few (well, more than a few) blocks from Albert's apartment, and the restaurant he was taking her to was another couple blocks down the street. It was a nice night, so Albert would have chosen to walk even if he owned a car (which he didn't).

So with a final mirror check, Albert walked out the door (and was back in another minute to retrieve the small bouquet of flowers he had forgotten). He tried not to fidget much on his way over, but Albert found himself failing miserably at that task after he had arrived at the address Lillian had given him (taking him to a small but well-kept looking townhouse) and rung the doorbell.

He was seriously considering walking around the block in an attempt to compose himself (he was a few minutes early), but Lillian didn't give him a choice: hardly a minute after the bell had been rung, she opened the door. Albert nearly lost his grip on the flowers he was holding; Lillian's light blue dress and silvery shawl (which somehow managed to match Albert's navy suit) were certainly a step up from the modest combination of sweaters, blouses and skirts she usually wore. The warm smile she gave Albert on top of all that made him go weak at the knees, but he still managed to stammer, “You— you look beautiful" and remain on his feet.

Lillian blushed and laughed a little. "Thank you, Albert. You don't look so bad yourself."

A smile finally worked its way onto Albert's face, and he suddenly remembered the flowers. "Oh! These are for you," he said, offering Lillian the bouquet.

"Aw, they're beautiful!" she exclaimed, accepting the flowers with a grin. "Thank you. Mind if I run and put these in a vase?"

"Not at all," Albert said.

Lillian was back in another minute, so Albert offered her his arm (which she gladly took) and then they were on their way. It turned out the two got along surprisingly well, despite having known each other for less than a week. There were rarely pauses in their pleasant conversation, save for when they ordered their meals. And it soon became clear that Lillian had trouble keeping her eyes off Albert. Albert didn't mind.

The evening drew to a close soon enough, and Albert walked Lillian home. Before he got a chance to say good night, Lillian turned and asked Albert "Would you like to come in?"

She smiled warmly and held Albert's gaze, just as she had done the entire night, but suddenly the anxiety Albert had felt earlier in the evening was back.

"Oh, um... I really shouldn't, I promised my students I'd have their quizzes back to them tomorrow, and—”

"It's all right," Lillian said, cutting him off. "Trust me, I understand!" she added with a laugh. Relief washed over Albert; he wasn't exactly sure what Lillian had in mind with that invitation, but it was still their first date for god's sake! And Albert liked to take things slow, thank you. So he'd rather err on the side of caution and—

"Albert?" Lillian said, snapping him from his daze. "All those quizzes waiting to be graded won't keep you from kissing me good night, will they?" For a moment, Lillian's expectant look, the raised eyebrow and hand on her hip reminded him of—

"Of course not," Albert said with a laugh. Lillian smirked and took his face in her hands; Albert's immediately fell into place on her hips. After a kiss that lasted a good thirty seconds, the pair finally broke apart.

"Good night, Albert."

"Good night, Lillian."

* * *

Rose stood outside the gym, bracing herself for the night ahead. Bernardo's arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, and she wore the pink dress that fit like a glove (just as Maria hoped it would).

It wasn't the prospect of dancing that worried her (despite what she had led Bernardo to believe). She used to love dancing when she was in college; she only stopped because she didn't have the time for it anymore. No, what set Rose on edge was the company she was to be introduced to. The Sharks. Maria insisted they were all nice boys, but... Rose had trouble accepting the fact that each and every one of them was in a gang. They seemed to Rose like the sort of people she would normally want nothing to do with. Rough, young hooligans. People like _Conrad_. Rose shuddered. _Thank god he's in the army..._

Bernardo gave Rose's side a squeeze. "What are you waiting for, Anita?"

"Sorry," Rose said, forcing a smile on her face. "I'm ready." And they went in. The gym was already filled with young couples dancing to energetic music. Bernardo pointed to a group of people across the room and started pulling Rose in their direction.

"There they are! Let's go say hello, hmm?" Bernardo was greeted enthusiastically by the young men and their dates; Rose did her best to smile and look like she was enjoying herself while she waited to be introduced.

"Who did you bring with you, 'Nardo?" one girl asked. Bernardo beamed and held Rose closer.

"This is Anita," he announced proudly. "Mi novia." He kissed her cheek. "Mi amor." Rose blushed, and the Sharks began to introduce themselves. Rose was determined to remember every name.

Suddenly the music changed, becoming even more upbeat, and everyone in the gym cheered.

"Come, Anita," Bernardo said, grinning and taking Rose's hand. "Let's dance!" Rose sighed, softly enough that Bernardo couldn't hear. _I hope popular dances haven't_ _changed too much since I was in college,_ she thought. Though she didn't immediately recognize the dance Bernardo was leading her into, Rose realized she had no need to worry. She followed Bernardo's lead easily, and found herself smiling as they settled into the rhythm of the music.

"See?" Bernardo said. "You are a natural, Anita!" Rose laughed and her smile grew. She had missed this...

The Sharks turned out to be very competitive dancers; catcalls and friendly jeers echoed from their corner of the gym as each couple tried to outdo the others.

"I am a very lucky man," Bernardo murmured into Rose's ear during a brief break. "I have found myself the most wonderful partner." He kissed her neck, and Rose found herself sighing at his touch. "None of the other girls can dance like you."

Rose turned to face Bernardo. "I don't think any other girl could keep up with you, 'Nardo."

Bernardo smiled warmly at Rose; their lips met and they became oblivious to everyone else on the dance floor. And Rose didn't mind in the least.

* * *

Tired as she was, Rose felt like she was walking on air. The dance had finished at midnight, and she and Bernardo had danced until the end. She had to make a quick stop at Madam Lucia's to return the dress; she had changed in the back room of the bridal shop and left a dress of her own to change into when the dance was over. Rose unlocked the back door of the shop and frowned when she realized there were lights on. _I thought I had turned them off when I left..._

"How was it?"

Rose dropped the keys and cursed, severely startled by whoever had spoken.

"I'm sorry, Anita! I didn't mean to frighten you." Rose calmed considerably when she saw Maria sitting in a corner reading. She sighed, retrieving the keys from the floor and beginning to change back into her own dress.

"Shouldn't you be at home, Maria? 'Nardo will be worried when he realizes you're not there."

Maria set aside her book and got up to help Rose with her dress. "I left a note," she said. "I wanted to wait up for you, to ask how the dance was!"

Rose laughed, stepping out of the borrowed dress and handing it to Maria to hang up. "You couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"It's after midnight, Anita. It is tomorrow." Rose rolled her eyes and pulled her own dress on over her head.

"Please, Anita!" Maria said, hurrying back over to plead with Rose. "Tell me about the dance!"

Rose sighed and turned to face Maria. "Well, it was loud. Raucous. Chaotic..."

Rose's face broke into a grin. "I loved it. It was the most fun I've had in a long time!"

Maria grinned. "And what did you think of the rest of the Sharks, Anita?"

"Everyone was wonderful, Maria. Especially your brother," she added after a pause.

Maria's face lit up. "Anita! Are you... do you mean to say you are falling in love with 'Nardo?" she asked with a sly grin on her face.

Rose laughed. "I think... I think I am, Maria," she admitted. "I had such a wonderful time tonight," Rose said with a sigh.

"Do the Sharks go dancing often?" she asked suddenly.

Maria laughed. "All the time."


	7. Chapter 7

It had been almost three weeks since Albert's dinner date with Lillian. They had been on a few dates since then, just to get coffee or have dinner together; they always enjoyed themselves on their dates, talking and laughing and eventually kissing quite a bit (but nothing more, Albert made sure of that). It was very clear to Albert that Lillian was falling in love with him.

Which was why he felt so guilty to be standing outside her door one Saturday morning, trying to bring himself to ring the bell. Eventually he did, and not a minute later, Lillian opened the door.

"Oh! Hi, Albert," she said, eyebrows raised in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Albert sighed and rubbed his neck, trying not to meet her eye. "I need to talk to you about something, Lillian."

"Do you want to come in?" Albert nodded, and she led him to a small living room; they sat together in the couch, but not close enough to be touching.

"I'm actually glad you came by, Albert," Lillian said. "I've been meaning to talk to you too."

"You have?"

She nodded. "I can't keep seeing you, Albert," she said quickly. "I've always tried to keep my work life and my personal life separate, and I should have known better than to get involved with a colleague and I... I'm sorry, Albert."

Albert relaxed, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "So, you're breaking up with me?"

Lillian nodded sadly, not meeting his eye.

"That's why I came here, actually. That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Albert admitted.

"That makes me feel _so_ much better," Lillian said with a grateful smile on her face. "I was worried that you would be upset with me, or something. “So what's your reason for our splitting up? Didn't want to date a colleague?"

Albert tugged at his collar. "Uh...not exactly, no."

Lillian grinned. "Ah, another woman then?"

Albert nodded. "Before you!" he added hurriedly. "Before I met you."

"The secretary, right?"

Albert's mouth fell open; he couldn't speak for a few moments. “How... how did you _know?_ " he asked with a small laugh.

Lillian shrugged. "I guessed. But if a woman can nag you about something for _eight years_ and get you to actually do it, even if it means leaving behind something you love, she must be a lot more than _just_ a secretary to you."

Albert laughed. "That sounds like Rose," he sighed. "You remind me of her sometimes," he added quietly.

Lillian raised an eyebrow. "I do?"

Albert nodded. "When you smirk at me or, or give me that look with the raised eyebrows and a hand on your hip… I guess that's part of why I can't be with you anymore."

"Because I remind you of her?"

Albert nodded.

"You still love her?"

Albert glanced at Lillian and then nodded again.

Lillian frowned. "So why aren't you still with her?"

Albert sighed. "Our relationship wasn't ever easy. At first, I didn't even let myself _think_ about her like that, because we were working together."

"But I guess you got over that?" Lillian asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Albert laughed. "But I was awkward and shy, and Rose had a fiery temper, and not much patience. And my mother always insisted on getting between us. So even after we finally came out and admitted our feelings for each other and started dating, after all the years we had known each other, all it took was one misunderstanding… and she walked out on me."

Lillian reached over and took Albert's hand. "I'm sorry, Albert. Is there… is there any chance you two could get back together?"

Albert shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't think she lives in New York anymore, and even if she does I don't think she'd want to see me. She was pretty livid when she left."

"I'm sorry," Lillian said again.

"It's okay," Albert said with a sigh. "Sometimes I wonder how I managed to get her to stay with me as long as she did."

"Well I think her leaving you was a mistake," Lillian said adamantly. "Excluding myself, any woman who gives you up is either not very bright, or has horrible taste in men."

Albert laughed a little. "Thanks, Lillian."

"...you miss her?" she asked after a pause.

"Oh, god yes."


	8. Chapter 8

**SEVERAL MONTHS LATER**

"There's a rumble tomorrow night."

Rose frowned. "And you're going?"

Bernardo nodded. "I have to."

Rose made no sign that she heard him, focusing instead on closing up the shop.

"You can come over after the rumble," he added.

That got Rose's attention. She smirked and turned to face Bernardo. "Oh really?" she said. "Can I?" It wouldn't be the first time a date of theirs ended with Rose sleeping over at Bernardo's apartment (and when they finally slept, that's all they did— sleep).

"Of course," Bernardo said with a grin, closing the distance between them and placing a kiss on Rose's lips. "And maybe," he said, kissing her again, "we can do more than sleep this time, hmm?"

Rose laughed. "Maybe. But you'll have to come home safely first, all right?"

Bernardo grinned and kissed her one last time. "I will."

* * *

They were in Maria's room when they heard the news. Maria knew Rose had a date with Bernardo after the rumble, so she had suggested the two could wait together for her brother to return, keeping each other company while they did so. Then Chino burst into the room— sweating and bruised and looking like he may be sick. Rose and Maria jumped to their feet.

"Chino!" Maria cried, rushing to his side. "Chino, what happened?" Chino glanced nervously between Rose and Maria.

"Something... something terrible has happened. At the rumble—"

"But there wasn't a rumble!" Maria said, trying to force a smile onto her face. "There wasn't..." she glanced at Rose. "Was there?"

Chino swallowed nervously. "No one meant for it to happen. There was a rumble, and… somehow, a knife..."

"Just tell us, Chino," Rose said. "It'll be easier if you say it very fast."

Chino nodded and looked back to Maria. "Your... your brother..."

Maria went pale. "Chino, what happened! Who was hurt? Is... is Tony all right?"

Chino stiffened. "Tony... he killed your brother!" he shouted, an ugly look overtaking his face. He gave Rose a brief glance before bolting from the room.

"No," Maria whispered. "Chino!" she cried. "It is not true!" Maria ran out of the room after Chino. "Why do you lie to me?" she cried, tearing down the hallway, leaving Rose behind.

Rose felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Bernardo dead... it couldn't be true. It _couldn't_. She managed to sit down on the edge of Maria's bed before her legs gave out. She had just seen Bernardo earlier that evening, he couldn't be... _dead_. Rose forced herself to her feet again and hurried to Bernardo's room. She stood in the doorway for a moment, still reeling with shock.

_It's not true... he'll be home any minute. He'll come back_ , _he said he would. I'll wait for him... he'll be back._

Rose gently (shakily) closed the door behind her, kicked off her shoes and laid down on Bernardo's bed, placing her head on his pillow. After a moment, she began to cry.

"This doesn't happen," she sobbed. "People don't... just _die!_ He can't be d-dead… _Oh god_... killed in a— a _gang fight!_ " Rose wrapped herself in Bernardo's sheets, pulling them close to her face, and tried desperately to fall asleep. Hoping it was just a bad dream she could wake up from. _This wasn't how tonight was supposed to end..._

* * *

Rose woke to the sound of a door, or maybe a window opening. She sat upright, daring to hope that Bernardo might have come home. Her heart sank when she realized she was still alone in his room. Holding back more tears, she got to her feet and left Bernardo's room, unable to remain for a minute longer.

Passing Maria's room, Rose realized she didn't know if Maria had ever returned from chasing after Chino. Rose entered without knocking to see Maria leaning out her window, waving at someone.

Rose frowned. "Who is it?" she asked. Maria jumped and turned to face Rose.

"Anita!" she gasped. "I..."

"Who was that, Maria?" Rose demanded. When Maria didn't answer, Rose pushed her away from the window to look for herself, just managing to catch a glimpse of a young man running down the street. _Tony_.

Rose's blood ran cold; she gripped the windowsill so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"He was here?" she asked very softly. " _He_ was _here_?" she shouted, turning to face Maria. "How could you let him come here? After what he did?" Maria said nothing, meeting Rose's angered glare with a frightened look of her own, and pulled her robe tighter about her body. It was only then that Rose took in the disheveled state of Maria's bed and nightgown.

"You didn't... Maria, you _didn't_!" Rose said almost menacingly.

"Anita, I—"

Rose advanced on Maria, who backed away looking terrified. "That _boy_ ," Rose spat, " _killed_ Bernardo. He killed your brother!" she screamed. "And you… he's a killer, Maria! A murderer!"

"Anita, _please_ —"

"Bernardo is _dead_ ," Rose sobbed, unable to hold in tears any longer, "because of _him_!" She pointed wildly in the direction of the window. " _Him_!"

Maria said nothing, and Rose collapsed onto Maria's bed with her face in her hands. After a moment, Maria decided it was safe to approach and sat next to Rose on the bed.

"I know what he did, Anita," she said softly. "But don't you see? I love him, Anita. For better or for worse, I _love_ him. I'm his… everything he is, I am too. I need him, and he needs me.” Rose didn’t speak. She could do nothing but sit there, and let Maria’s words sink in.

"You should understand, Anita," Maria added. "You were in love, or so you said.”

_I need him, and he needs me…_

Feelings Rose had tried to push away for months started rushing back; she felt as if she couldn’t breathe, nauseous and unsteady.

"I was," Rose whispered. "Maria, I _was_ in love, and I threw it all away!"

Maria pulled back. “Threw it away? Anita, what are you talking about?"

Rose sat up and met Maria's eyes, a terribly sad look on her face. "There's so much I haven't told you, Maria..."

Maria frowned. “I don’t understand. Was it not 'Nardo you were in love with?" she asked slowly. "Anita, please, who are you talking about?"

"Another man," Rose admitted. "A man I worked with for years..."

* * *

By the end of her story, Rose was in tears again.

"I loved him, Maria, as much as you love Tony. You're s- so devoted to him, and I just ran away! I left him behind and tried so hard to forget... and Bernardo! I don't know what I must have made him think. But he was hardly anything more than a distraction for me, to k-keep me from thinking about who I had left behind."

Maria put an arm around Rose's shoulders and held her close. "Did you care at all for Bernardo? He must have meant something to you..."

Rose nodded. "Of course I cared for Bernardo, but—"

"Then you should not worry, Anita. As long as... as long as he died believing he was loved—"

"How can you say that?” Rose mumbled. “How can you forgive me so easily? When I just told you I’ve been in love with another man all this time…”

"I do not want to be mad at you, Anita. I have already lost Bernardo. I do not want to lose you as well.”

Rose held back another sob; she hadn’t realized until then how much she appreciated Maria’s unending kindness.

"Thank you… and Maria," Rose said. "Do you— do you think you could call me Rose again? Instead of..."

Maria smiled sadly. "Of course, _Rosa_." A knock at the door startled both of them.

"I'll get it," Maria said, getting up. She closed the door behind her, making it so that Rose could only hear the soft murmur of two voices. A moment later Maria opened the door.

"Rosa?" she called. "Will you come out?"

Puzzled, Rose got to her feet. "What is it, Maria?" It turned out that Maria was speaking to a surly-looking police officer. When Rose came out from Maria's bedroom, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her.

"He wishes to speak to me about Bernardo, and I have just remembered I have... medicine I must pick up from Doc's store. Will you go for me?"

"I..."

"Here," Maria said, darting back into her room. "I will write it down for you, to tell you what to ask for." She came back out with a note scribbled on a scrap of paper. She handed it to Rose. "Will you go for me?"

Rose hesitated a moment, but when the policeman glared at her again, she took the paper from Maria's hand. "Of course, Maria. Of course I'll go." She unfolded the note the moment she was out of the officer's sight.

_Rose,_

_Tony is waiting for me in Doc's basement. Please tell him I am coming, but I have been detained. Tell him I will come for him._

_Maria_


	9. Chapter 9

Rose made her way down the street very quickly, hoping to deliver Maria's message and then go to bed so her horrible day could just be over. She entered Doc's shop and stopped dead in her tracks; she wasn't alone. It seemed every one of the Jets had piled into Doc's small store to keep an eye on their friend. Only now, their eyes were all on Rose.

"Where's Doc?" she asked.

"He ain't here," one of them said, stepping in front of her and blocking her path.

Rose tried to skirt around him but he simply stepped in front of her again. "I have a message to deliver—"

"So tell one of us!"

Rose scowled. "The message isn't for any of you." She spotted a door behind the counter that she decided must lead to the basement. "If you'll excuse me," she said, starting to push her way through the Jets toward the door.

It happened so suddenly Rose didn't have time to think until the boys had already surrounded her— grabbing her, pushing her back, pulling at her clothes. Jeering and calling her racist slurs. _Enough!_ Rose reached out and slapped the first Jet she could reach, clear across the face.

"Don't touch me!" she said fiercely. The boys all stopped, looking ashamed. Not because of Rose's outburst, but because Doc had finally appeared. However, Rose didn't need his help to reprimand the young men around her. "For your _goddamn_ information," she said in a low, dangerous voice, "I was born in Pennsylvania. I am an American citizen. My _grandfather_ was Hispanic, that's it! So you can stop treating me like I'm not as good as you. As a matter of fact, you can stop treating _them_ like that as well! I am trying to _help_ you, you ungrateful bastards! I have a message for Tony from Maria—"

"Maria's one-a them PRs," a Jet mumbled.

"She loves him!" Rose snapped. "Really, is that the worst thing you can imagine in this world? One of them, loving one of you?"

The Jets could only stare at her, silent. "She loves him," Rose repeated. "She means Tony no harm, and neither do I. Maria's like a sister to me, I... look, will you let me deliver the damn message or not?"

"He's in the cellar," Doc said after a long moment. He wove his way through the Jets to the cellar door, opening it for Rose. She could feel their eyes on her as she approached the cellar.

"Thank you," she told Doc.

Tony hurried to the bottom of the stairs as soon as he heard Rose approaching; he backed off, looking confused when he realized it was not Maria coming down to meet him.

"Hello, Tony," Rose said.

"Where's Maria? Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She asked me to come here, to tell you she has been detained and can't meet you right away."

"But she is coming?"

Rose nodded. "She's coming."

Tony breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back against the cellar wall and visibly relaxing. Rose turned to leave—

"Wait." Rose stopped on the cellar stairs but didn't look at Tony. "You were Bernardo's girl, weren't you?"

"I was," Rose said stiffly.

"I'm sorry," Tony blurted out. "I didn't mean to kill him, I was tryin' to stop the fight from happening in the first place! But when he killed Riff... I just wasn't thinking, I was so mad! Haven't you ever done something you regretted? 'Cause you were mad?"

Rose glanced over her shoulder to see Tony looking at her expectantly, waiting for her reply. "Yes," she said at last. "I have."

* * *

"I'm going home," Rose said to the still silent Jets when she returned from the cellar. "Good night." She barely took another step before the boys jumped in front of her, blocking her path to the door.

"What if she tells Chino where Tony's hidin'?" one said.

Rose scowled. "For the last time, I'm not trying to get Tony hurt! What do you want me to do, let one of you walk me home so I won't go blabbing to Chino?"

The boys looked at each other before shoving a small, scrawny boy in front of Rose. He almost tripped and turned to look pleadingly at the other Jets. "Baby John'll take ya. _Won't you_ , Baby John?" a Jet said. Baby John glanced nervously at Rose before nodding.

"Fine," Rose said. With that, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the shop. Baby John hurried to keep up with her. They walked in complete silence the whole way, save for Baby John's occasional sniffles. He stopped her just before she escaped into her apartment building. Rose glared at him for grabbing onto her arm, but she softened her expression when she realized how close the poor boy seemed to bursting into tears. He let go immediately.

"I uh... I just wanted to say sorry about Bernardo," he stammered.

"It's not your fault," Rose sighed. "If it was anyone's fault, it was his, for getting involved in this mess in the first place."

Baby John nodded, mumbled, "Good night," and hurried off down the dark street. Rose went home.

* * *

Albert was wrapping up another long night of grading papers. He had the radio on; it helped pass the time. However, music was too distracting for grading, and the news had been awfully depressing lately.

“—gang violence in the upper West Side has gotten steadily worse over the past few months," the woman on the radio was saying. "Tonight, another two young men were found dead under the highway as a result of this increased violence. Their killer has yet to be apprehended—"

Albert shut off the radio. "I'll have to stop listening to this darn thing altogether if the news gets any worse," he muttered. Albert looked at the mess of papers in front of him and shook his head. He'd had enough for one night.


	10. Chapter 10

Two weeks had passed since Bernardo's death. Life was slowly working its way back to normal (as normal as it could be, anyway). The girls at the shop had to work even harder to keep up with the combined absence of Teresita (who was still in school) and Maria (she and Tony had left by bus early in the morning following the rumble and had made it safely to the country; Rose made sure Maria had her address so they could keep in touch). Rose still walked to work every morning, passing the local high school that Teresita attended. Classes were just starting when Rose walked by...

* * *

"All right, settle down everyone," Albert said when he had finished taking attendance. "We've almost finished Jane Eyre, so today we're going to read the last chapter out loud. Miguel, would you—"

Albert was cut off when a sudden gust of wind scattered the few papers he had on his desk. "Who left that window open?" he muttered, going to close it. He froze when he noticed the woman staring at him from across the street. She looked awfully familiar...

_It can't be,_ Albert thought dejectedly. His heart wanted so much for it to be her, but in his mind, he knew he was only getting his hopes up, thinking some woman across the street was Rose. It wasn't as if he could abandon his class to make certain. Albert sighed and shook his head, deciding his eyes were playing tricks on him, and closed the window. _I lost Rose at a train station. She could have gone anywhere in the country. Why would_ _she come back here?_

* * *

Rose stood frozen in place after he closed the window and went back to teaching; she hardly dared to breathe. _He's here,_ she thought. _He's right here in New York!_

She had thought she was hearing things when that voice drifted across the street from the open window of a classroom. But she stopped and turned to look all the same. And when their eyes met, Rose's heart just about stopped. There was no mistaking that face, not when she had just heard his voice as well, for the first time in months.

" _Albert_."

Rose practically ran to Madam Lucia's and was out of breath when she finally arrived.

"Rose!" Antonella cried, looking worried when Rose burst into the shop. "What's the matter?"

"I..." Rose didn't know what to say. _Should I wait until Teresita arrives? I could ask if there's a Mr. Peterson at her school..._ _no, that would take too long. I have to see_ _him today!_

"I'm so sorry, señora. I just remembered I have... an appointment. I can't work today, I—”

Antonella cut Rose off with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry, Rose. It's been quite slow today; we can manage without you."

Rose smiled gratefully. "Thank you, señora. Thank you so much!"

Hurrying back to the high school, Rose found a bench outside the school's entrance and sat down to wait (even though she knew classes wouldn't end until sometime that afternoon; she didn't want to risk missing him). As the hours ticked by, Rose's anxiety seemed to increase a hundredfold. _What if he doesn't want to see me? I wouldn't be surprised... he could have forgotten all about me by now! Or what if I was wrong? What if it wasn't really him? I could be mistaken... Why on earth would he_ _come back to New York anyway? What if..._

Rose dropped her head into her hands and pushed her worries out of her mind. _Come on, Rose,_ she told herself. _One step at a time. You can fret later. You've got to make it until the end of the school day first._


	11. Chapter 11

Suddenly a bell rang and students were streaming out the door; Rose jumped to her feet and started desperately searching for Albert. _I know it was him, I KNOW it was… please let him be here, PLEASE..._

And then she saw him. Walking down the steps of the school, briefcase in hand. Rose thought for sure her heart would stop. She wove through the crowd of students, trying to get close enough to wave, or call his name, something to get his attention. He had already turned and started to walk away; Rose felt her chest swell with panic, afraid that she would lose him.

"Albert!" she cried. " _Albert!_ " He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Rose. Their eyes met. _He heard me... thank god he heard me..._

Rose didn't think; she tore through the already thinning crowd and threw herself at Albert. She felt a sob escape her lips and already tears were streaming down her face. Albert took a step back to avoid falling over, and dropped his briefcase the moment Rose was in his arms. Next thing he knew, he was holding her tightly against his chest, one hand stroking her hair.

_I_ did _see Rose across the street this morning… she's really here. All this time and I never once considered that she might have come back to New York._

But she had. She was back, and currently crying in his arms. It took Albert a moment to make out what she was saying.

"I'm sorry, Albert," she sobbed. "I'm s-so sorry..."

He shushed her, holding her closer and whispering, " _It's okay, Rosie… it's ok_ " over and over.

_He called me Rosie… he's_ holding _me..._ Rose realized. _He doesn't hate me..._

Rose's sobs subsided after a minute or two, but even then she couldn't bring herself to look at Albert. At least until he stepped back, forcing Rose to loosen her grip around his torso, and gently took her chin in his hand, tilting her head back until their eyes met.

"I think we've got a lot of talking to do, Rosie," he said softly. Rose nodded shakily and allowed Albert to lead them to the same bench upon which she had sat waiting for him. Albert took Rose's hand and held it in his own. Neither spoke for a moment.

"I missed you, Rosie."

Rose squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed, willing herself to stop crying. "I... I missed you too, Albert," she whispered. Another long bout of silence. Albert ran his thumb across the top of Rose's hand, but neither looked at the other.

Albert sighed. "I didn't give her the ticket on purpose," he said finally.

Rose blinked. "Wh- what?"

"I gave my mother one of our tickets by mistake. That's why one was missing… why you had to buy another. I didn't try to bring my mother with us, Rose," Albert said. "Pumpkin Falls was supposed to be just you and me."

"...Albert, I—"

"You left before I had a chance to explain, Rose. You just… left."

Rose began to cry again. "I'm sorry, Albert! I wasn't thinking, I— I felt terrible for leaving. I'm so sorry!"

"Oh, Rose..." Albert murmured, cupping her cheek in his hand and using his thumb to brush her tears away. "I know you're sorry." He leaned in and kissed her, as gently as he could. "Please don't cry."

Rose stared at him, speechless. Albert frowned. "Rosie, what is it?"

"...you kissed me," she whispered, still staring wide-eyed at him.

Albert smiled, almost sadly, and kissed her again. "I know."

"A- aren't you mad at me?"

"Rosie, of course not. I thought… I thought I would never see you again," he admitted. "This isn't the first time your temper, my mother and my awkwardness have collided to make a mess of things. Granted, it's a bit of a bigger mess than usual..." Albert said with a slight smile. He shook his head and sighed. "I'm not— I’m not mad at you, Rose. A little hurt, that you didn't trust me."

Rose looked away.

"But right now, I'm just grateful that I found you again."

"You are?"

Albert smiled again. "I am."

Some sort of sound escaped Rose's lips. Whether it was a laugh or a sob, she didn't care; she took Albert's face in her hands and kissed him, hungrily, fiercely, _desperately_. "Albert," she said between kisses, "I'm so glad," ... "that you're here too." ... "I thought you were," ... "in Pumpkin Falls." He returned her kisses with fervor, holding Rose as closely as he could while sitting on the bench, almost pulling her onto his lap.

"Albert, I—" Rose stopped and pulled away suddenly, a look of almost horror on her face.

"Rosie, what is it?" Albert asked breathlessly, frowning and searching her face for an explanation.

"I need to tell you something, Albert," she said in a very small voice.

"I'm listening."

"I..." Rose sniffed and brushed away the tears that were once again threatening to fall. "I dated another man, after I left," she admitted, not looking at Albert. She didn't want to have to see his expression. She was afraid it would break her heart.

"I dated someone else too," he said softly.

Rose's head jerked up. “You... you did?"

Albert nodded. "For a few weeks. We broke it off… she reminded me too much of you."

Rose took Albert's hand. She didn't know what to say. A few weeks… she and Bernardo were together for _months_... how could she possibly tell Albert?

“Are you and he still together?" Albert asked.

Rose shook her head. Not trusting herself to speak.

"What happened?"

Rose took a shaky breath and held tight to Albert's hand. "He died. He was killed, in a gang fight."

"Oh my god… I'm so sorry, Rose."

Rose nodded once and shut her eyes. She could still feel the tears trickling down her cheek. Albert didn't say anything for a moment.

"Did you love him?"

Rose glanced at Albert, meeting his eyes. "I... I don't know," she admitted, looking away. "I thought I did." More silence. Albert shifted his hand so their fingers intertwined.

"Rose?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"...do you love me?"

Rose nodded immediately and buried her face into Albert's arm, afraid she would start sobbing again if she opened her mouth. "Albert?" she asked after a moment, her voice muffled slightly.

"I love you too, Rosie," he said softly, answering her question before she got a chance to ask it. "I never stopped loving you."

That did it. Rose burst into tears again and threw her arms around Albert's middle. He held her tight and rested his chin on top of her head, rubbing her back with one hand. "It's okay, Rosie," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "It's okay."

“N-no," she sobbed. "It's not okay. I was horrible to you, I… you deserve someone better than me, Albert."

"Rosie, I don't _want_ someone else," Albert said gently. "I want _you_. I've wanted you for nearly nine years now."

Rose didn't know what to say to that. So she held Albert even tighter, and let him go on rubbing her back, and telling her it would be okay. Maybe it would.

"Albert?" she said after a while, when she could finally trust herself to speak without crying.

"Yes, Rosie?"

She sat up and looked Albert right in the eyes. "I know that after everything that's happened to both of us, we can't expect to pick up where we left off," she said in a small voice. “But would it be too much to ask to start seeing each other again?"

"Rosie, if you asked me to take you to the nearest courthouse and marry you right now, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Rose laughed. It felt good to do that again. "I don't know if I'm quite ready for that yet."

"All right," Albert said. "I'll wait. I'll wait for you, as long as you waited for me."

Rose smiled and tenderly pressed a kiss to Albert's cheek. "I love you, Albert."

"I love you too, Rosie."


End file.
